


A Matter of Profit

by OrderOfRevan



Series: Canonverse Thrawn Stories [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types
Genre: Character Study, Sequel Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-10-29 21:47:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10862739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrderOfRevan/pseuds/OrderOfRevan
Summary: A discussion about economics reveals differences between Chiss and Humans that Ensign Eli Vanto seems to find most unsettling.





	A Matter of Profit

_ People everywhere, conversations rising from every corner. Ensign Vanto finds the quietest corner he can, and sits there, still holding the bag of food in his hands. His knuckles clench the handles tightly, suggesting strain.  _

“Sorry about that, sir,” he said, finally setting the food on the plastic table before him. “I think sometimes service droids start to absorb the personality of their customers.” 

Thrawn sat down across from him, examining their surroundings. He found the building itself quite interesting, and was suddenly reminded that there was life outside of the military. 

It was something he was always vaguely aware of, the existence of the truly innumerable lives on the periphery of his own existence. A warrior swore himself to the protection and preservation of those lives, they were essential to the warrior’s path, but he seldom interacted with them.  

“It is not a problem, Ensign Vanto,” Thrawn replied after a moment. 

_ The tension in his shoulders visibly relaxes and the corners of his mouth turn upwards. He is smiling.  _

“I should have figured you wouldn’t be bothered,” Ensign Vanto said with a laugh. “Nothing really seems to get to you.” 

It wasn’t true, of course. 

There was plenty that bothered Thrawn, but Eli Vanto had no way of knowing that if Thrawn did not tell him. He had grown better at reading Thrawn’s expressions, but there was still much that remained unsaid between them because of their relationship as commanding officer and aide. 

A warrior respected the hierarchy he was placed within. 

“In truth, I find the droids very interesting,” Thrawn said, watching as Eli began to unpack the contents of the bag. “The concept of such an advanced machine developing a personality is unusual to me.”

“You don’t have droids where you come from, Sir?”  _ His voice increases in pitch and his eyebrows both rise toward his hairline as he freezes, ceasing his task halfway to completion. Perhaps he is surprised.  _

“No,” Thrawn shook his head. “Many tasks you allocate to droids are performed by Chiss.”  

_ He continues his task without speaking, his brows knitting together over his eyes. He is deep in thought.  _

Thrawn waited, turning his head away to look back at the teeming crowds once more. They were both less and more colorful than the Chiss, the tone of their voices in conversation entirely different, their clothing a vast array of greys and browns. In comparison, his people tended to wear brighter colors, but they were more reserved in their expression. 

He was certain Ensign Vanto would be surprised to learn that he had been considered particularly demonstrative where he came from. 

“So just based on the old stories, you must have some amazing targeting systems,” Ensign Vanto said, drawing Thrawn’s attention back to him. “Or some really good gunners.” 

“I believe it is a combination of both,” Thrawn said, allowing himself a thin smile “The Expansionary and Defense Fleets dedicate a great number of resources to ensuring their personnel are trained adequately.” 

“And this is why you’ve gained a reputation in our stories, sir,” Ensign Vanto said. “You train your soldiers to be nearly as good at targeting enemies as machines are.” 

_ His teeth show through a crack in his lips, and he swallows, his fingers twitching on the plastic utensil in front of him. Ensign Vanto is suppressing laughter, suggesting that he finds his own words amusing.  _

_ Is he telling a joke?  _

Thrawn looked towards his own meal, grasping the white, plastic utensil in his hand, staring curiously at the food. It had been a long time since he had eaten something that wasn’t prepared specifically with the intent of feeding a warrior -- compact, high calorie, easy to transport and store. 

Even before he had enlisted with the Expansionary Fleet, his diet had been primarily controlled by someone else. The needs of the people were provided for by the Ruling Families, the rulers responsible for their subjects’ wellbeings. It had been so since the days before Csapla, when the Chiss lived in cave-dwelling colonies deep beneath Csilla’s glaciers. 

Thrawn did not dwell long on thoughts of leaders and rulers failing their subjects, turning his mind, instead, to Ensign Vanto. 

“It is interesting that your people remember our military prowess,” Thrawn said, carefully taking the tiny plastic knife in his other hand to cut the meat before him. 

“Not really,” Ensign Vanto replied. 

_ He pauses, pressing his lower lip between his teeth as his eyes dart down towards his food. _

“I mean, maybe to you,” _ he says after a quick intake of breath, eyes returning to Thrawn’s face.  _ “But if you were a species with relatively primitive targeting technology on the fringes of the Galaxy who met a terrifyingly competent warrior race, you’d remember their battle prowess, too.” 

Thrawn found himself amused. 

“A compelling argument,” he said, taking a small bite of the meal, surprised at its savory and satisfying flavor. “This is not as repulsive as I thought it would be, based upon its appearance.” 

_ His nose wrinkles and his mouth puckers, but his eyes do not harden. Rather, he sighs with his whole body, in contrast to his usual reserved exhalations of breath, and rolls his eyes.  _

_ He is almost certainly joking.  _

“Glad you appreciate my tastes, sir,” Ensign Vanto said. 

“It wasn’t your tastes that were in question, Ensign Vanto,” Thrawn replied calmly. 

For a moment, they lapsed into silence, Thrawn concentrating on his meal. He assumed Eli Vanto was also doing the same, though he had learned that his subordinate could often eat and think at the same time. Thrawn himself had to dedicate much more energy to a single task than Ensign Vanto seemed to if he were to truly appreciate it, but he assumed that was simply one of their small differences. 

Perhaps even a difference between their species. 

“You’ve really never been to a shopping center before, have you?” Ensign Vanto suddenly asked, pulling Thrawn’s attention from his thoughts  _ and _ his food. “Not that it’s a bad thing, sir, but it’s just so  _ odd _ . Even on Lysatra we have little markets and ways to buy mass produced things. I guess wherever you come from really is that different.” 

_ His brows are knit together again, and his throat muscles are tight, but his hands remain on the table, relaxed but for the utensils they old. He is confused… Perhaps concerned, but certainly he is curious and seeks clarification.  _

Clarification Thrawn was content to provide. 

“There was no need,” Thrawn informed him. “I believe we covered this before, Ensign Vanto.”

“Yeah,” the man in question replied. “We did. I’ll be honest, though, it’s still so hard for me to wrap my mind around.” 

_ He laughs, but the sound is sharp, suggesting there is no mirth behind it.  _

_ Instead, his brows remained furrowed. He places his knife and fork on the table and rubs his hand over his chin, his posture guarded and careful.  _

_ Still, there is the confusion on his face, motivated by curiosity.  _

“I think I’m just having problems because I don’t get how that works out. Here we get paid for our labor. I don’t understand why anyone would work and make the things you need if they don’t get compensation for their efforts.” 

“You are assuming that monetary compensation is the only way for a worker to profit, Ensign Vanto,” Thrawn said, pressing the tips of his fingers together in front of him, staring at Eli Vanto. “I suppose I understand. That is the structure you grew up with. Perhaps it is difficult for you to grasp anything beyond your current model.” 

_ Ensign Vanto stares at him, his mouth still drawn, though some of the tension leaves his neck and his eyebrows relax slightly.  _

_ He appeared to be waiting for Thrawn to continue.  _

“Service is its own form of reward, Ensign Vanto,” Thrawn explained. “Take the Empire, for example. It cannot function without people to build its warshaps and manufacture its clothing, but people require resources to be able to support themselves.” 

Ensign Vanto nodded to show his understanding, and Thrawn continued. 

“Here, you create a great number of poor by not providing for their needs, and fill your workforce with droids.” Thrawn motioned vaguely to a small mousedroid scuttling about between the feets of various patrons, hard at work and unnoticed. “But these are jobs your poor could hold if your society provided for them and ensured they did not suffer in poverty. It would allow the Empire to dedicate resources to raising children capable of and interested in those jobs.” 

_ His brow creases again and his eyes drop to stare at his food. A moment later, he picks up the fork to stab at the meat, though he does not make any effort to eat it.  _

_ Perhaps he is restless and pensive.  _

“You make it sound so easy,” Ensign Vanto said. “Like it’s something we could just pick up overnight and implement.”

“I did not say it would be easy,” Thrawn said, placing his hands flat on the table, Eli Vanto’s eyes meeting his own unflinchingly, a trait Thrawn had found was rare in humans. “It would take generations for your people to accept such a change on a widespread cultural level, and implementing it on a large scale would in and of itself take many years. I only know such a system can function because I was raised in one.” 

They lapsed into silence again, and this time Thrawn was able to finish his meal, waiting for Ensign Vanto to finish. He seemed distracted, but his distraction perhaps only fueled his appetite, and he finished only moments after Thrawn himself. 

He said nothing as they stood, disposing of their waste, likely so some droid could come and clean it up later. Together, they walked back towards the transit center to wait for their separate transports, which would allow Thrawn to return to his lodgings in order to prepare for his meeting with Arihnda Pryce. 

It seemed Ensign Vanto had not quite finished speaking, however. 

“You must feel really out of place here, sir,” he said. “We’re nothing like your people.” 

Around them there were the sounds of the city, but even through all the heat they generated, the glow on Ensign Vanto’s face was bright. 

“There are more similarities than you would think, Ensign Vanto,” Thrawn said, looking back out to the teeming of life on the Imperial Capital World. “The differences only highlight that. Life, for all species, must go on, and here or back among my people, I am still a warrior, no matter the direction my life path takes me.” 

He was not looking at Eli, but he did not have to in order to know that confusion would still be evident on his face, and though Thrawn believed that one day Eli would understand, he knew that day was still far off. 


End file.
